Review Round-Up: ‘Hamilton’ on Broadway

Are the critics as enamored with Hamiltonsince its move from The Public Theater to the Great White Way? Let’s see what they have to say!

“I am loath to tell people to mortgage their houses and lease their children to acquire tickets to a hit Broadway show. But Hamilton, directed by Thomas Kail and starring Mr. Miranda, might just about be worth it — at least to anyone who wants proof that the American musical is not only surviving but also evolving in ways that should allow it to thrive and transmogrify in years to come.

…Hamilton is, among other things, about who owns history, who gets to be in charge of the narrative. One of its greatest accomplishments is that it leaves no doubt that these scrappy, adrenaline-charged young folks, with their fast way with rhyme that gives order to chaos, have every right to be in charge of the story here.” — The New York Times

“Like any true landmark, Hamilton stands up to repeated viewings. After six months, the show’s initial impact hasn’t dulled a bit; in fact, the qualities that made it so extraordinary the first time around are all the more striking. Miranda’s fundamental insight — that Alexander Hamilton, like other early American patriots, landed on these foreign shores like any other homeless, clueless immigrant in search of a new life — seems all the more electrifying on reflection. — Variety

“Revolutions are messy, sudden, often brutal things. They’re not meant to mature gracefully. Thankfully, no one told the creators of the pulsating Hamilton, which arrives on Broadway sharper, tighter and cleaner than just a few months ago. It’s all like nothing you’ve ever heard or seen before. In one song, the main ladies sing euphorically, “Look around at how lucky we are to be alive right now! History is happening in Manhattan. We couldn’t agree more.” — Associated Press

“Much has been made of Miranda’s hip-hop-influenced musical form, and it’s true that the language and nomenclature of Hamilton feel wildly fresh and distinctive. It is no small task to create a world where Thomas Jefferson can say “Wassup” without anything feeling arched or seeming forced. But what makes Miranda such a uniquely potent Broadway figure is that he also is steeped in the craft and tradition of the American musical and can forge melody and lyrics that hold up to the work of the old masters; you can see the influence of Richard Rodgers just as explicitly as The Notorious B.I.G. (both are riffed upon with equal alacrity and complexity). And thus many of the songs in Hamilton are quite staggeringly beautiful — richly melodic and passionately performed ballads of fear, hope, determination and pain. They feel traditional and revolutionary at the same time.” — Chicago Tribune